Provide mechanisms to facilitate and improve access to data and data products

WDS strives to become a worldwide community of excellence for scientific data, with searchable common data directories and catalogs, which ensures the long-term stewardship and provision of quality-assessed data and data services to the international science community.

The ICSU WDS replaces the former World Data Centers (WDC), a transition from existing stand-alone services to a common globally interoperable distributed data system that incorporates emerging technologies and new scientific data activities. ESDIS is a proud new member of the ICSU WDS.

CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC)

CEOS WGISS Integrated Catalog (CWIC)

CWIC is being developed by WGISS to provide a framework that allows for easier search and access of Earth Observation data via partnering of CEOS agency data systems. For these partnering agencies, CWIC provides a single point of search and access. CWIC is a virtual clearinghouse of spatial, temporal, and science keyword metadata that brokers access to Earth Observation data by interoperating with data archives of other agencies and countries. CWIC is envisioned to be a community catalog for satellite data that will provide search and access to satellite data within an integrated view of multiple providers of satellite data holdings.

ESDIS is developing a prototype web-based client, CWIC-Start, for discovering and accessing cross-discipline data from all of the CWIC data partners. Several operational clients (e.g. Land Surface Imaging Portal, the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing CEOCat3 and the Group on Earth Observation Data Access Broker (GEO DAB)) are able to provide search and access to satellite data via CWIC. Additional CEOS and GEO sponsored clients are expected to become CWIC-enabled in the future. The CWIC team is also working with the ESAFedEO team to develop a common interface protocol that enables interoperable access to their respective collections.

Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

The Federal Government includes NASA as a participant in the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). GEO is a voluntary partnership of governments and international organizations initiated in 2002 that provides a framework within which governments can develop new projects and coordinate their strategies and investments for environmental societal benefit. ESDIS staff supports the development of data system interfaces and other services from NASA systems to those being developed with GEO including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). ESDIS participation is intended to further leverage our in-house capabilities and data access tools providing an efficient means for data access from our non-US partners and increased data access for our NASA and US science communities.

Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO)

Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO)

ESDIS also participates with the Quality Assurance Framework for Earth Observation (QA4EO) initiative that was endorsed by CEOS as a contribution to facilitate the GEO vision for a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). QA4EO was established to facilitate interoperability of GEO systems, and is based on the adoption of guiding principles, which are implemented through a set of key operational guidelines derived from best practices, for implementation by the GEO community.

United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO)

United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO)

Improving the interoperability and access to environmental data and related services across US government agencies is an ongoing goal of the Earth Science Data Information Systems (ESDIS) project. To this end, ESDIS has active membership in the United States Group on Earth Observations (USGEO) Architecture and Data Management (ADM) committee. USGEO was established in 2005 under the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to lead federal efforts to achieve a national Integrated Earth Observation Systems (IEOS).

Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

The Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is a broad-based community comprised of researchers and associated groups of more than 110 organizations that produce, interpret and develop applications for Earth and environmental science data. Although conceived and begun under the auspices of NASA, ESIP now includes sponsorship from other Federal agencies. This venue provides ESDIS with a diverse forum for exploring and collaboration on data system activities.

ESDIS also participates in and helps to advise on the use of data standards including data formats, data transport, metadata standards and content standards for archive and preservation. This work involves work with three key organizations including:

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)

ESDIS is a member of the US Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), a United States government committee which promotes the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. ESDIS actively interacts and participates in the development of remote sensing data standards through the FGDC in order to foster more efficienty use, management and production of geospatial data.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

ESDIS has always fostered the evolution and adoption of data systems standards in support of the long-term preservation of digital information obtained from Earth observations. As a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a voluntary international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations, ESDIS periodically assembles teams of data systems and metadata experts to analyze requirements and recommend best approaches for adopting various ISO series of standards for describing the data and services offered by NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS). NASA has recognized the advantages of adopting ISO metadata standards for future Earth-observing missions, and the EOSDIS Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) have also recognized these advantages.

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)

Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)

ESDIS is a member of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), an international voluntary consensus standards organization. In 1994 (when OGC was then called the OpenGIS Consortium), NASA initiated a cooperative agreement - the goal of which was to to model interoperable visual environments and demonstrate the OpenGIS principles. NASA's funding allowed OGC to grow and develop a robust technical governance process. NASA has continued to fund and participate in OGC testbed activities and technical steering, including the OGC Web Services (OWC) testbeds (where participating technology providers provide standards development that is aligned with their product development programs) and collaboration with other standards and technical committees. ESDIS helps to review and suggest modifications to existing standards so that our users can gain benefit from the adoption and use of agreed to standards and protocols of consequence to environmental data and services.